Drop it off free
6 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Portsmouth Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event · Department of Public WorksHazardous waste site1 mi
- Kittery Ace HardwarePaint store3 mi
- Kittery Transfer StationPaint store4.6 mi
Portsmouth, NH Paint Disposal
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All drop-off locations in and near Portsmouth8
Start with these
Portsmouth Household Hazardous Waste Day (Department of Public Works)
680 Peverly Hill Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801
- Accepts
- Oil-based and lead-based paint, stain and finish, thinner and turpentine, solvents, wood strippers and preservatives, driveway sealer, pesticides, pool chemicals, gasoline and other household chemicals. No latex paint.
- Who can use it
- Households only; no commercial or industrial users. Proof of residency required. The city’s page names Portsmouth, New Castle and Newington residents in one place and Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington in another; PaintCare’s listing and the city’s 2025 notice say Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington.
- Hours
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 8 a.m.–noon. The city holds it twice a year, in spring and fall. PaintCare’s listing gives the spring 2026 date as May 9.
- Load limits
- Largest container 5 gallons; no drums.
- Fees
- No fee listed on the city’s page.
If you live in New Castle or Greenland, call 603-427-1530 before you go, because the city’s page lists the towns two different ways.
Portsmouth Recycling Center – hardened latex paint
680 Peverly Hill Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801
- Accepts
- Latex paint that has been hardened all the way through. Liquid paint and oil-based paint are not taken here.
- Who can use it
- Portsmouth residents. The city’s page doesn’t say non-residents can use it.
- Hours
- Tuesday–Thursday 7:45 a.m.–3:15 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.–2 p.m. The longer summer Tuesday hours (to 6:15 p.m., July 1–Oct. 9) have ended for 2026.
- Load limits
- Paint must be solid all the way through, not just a skin on top.
- Fees
- No paint fee listed. Other items carry fees (for example $5 for a mattress, $10 for electronics), paid by card (minimum $2.50 processing fee) or check; no cash.
The city asks you to bring hardened latex here instead of putting it out for curbside trash pickup. Leaving the lid off only hardens the top; use kitty litter, sawdust, Speedi-Dri or a paint hardener packet from a hardware store.
6 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Portsmouth.
4 paint stores and 2 hazardous waste sites, closest first. Paint stores take house paint, stain and varnish, usually up to a set amount per visit. Hazardous waste sites also take chemicals like thinner, but some only serve local residents. Call before you go.
Rules most stores here share
Who: Households and Businesses in Maine
Hours: Paint is accepted during regular business hours. Call ahead for hours and to make sure the store can accept the amount and type of paint you would like to recycle.
Products: This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
Each listing below shows only what’s different, plus its limit.
Portsmouth Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event · Department of Public Works
1 mi680 Peverly Hill Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Portsmouth Greenland and Newington
- Hours
- Saturdays: May 9 and October 24, 2026. 8 am - 12 pm. Please check for possible fall event typically held in September.
- Limits
- Proof of residency is required. NO LATEX paint will be accepted at this collection event. Latex paint may be solidified with kitty litter, sawdust, speedy dry or by opening the can and allowing the paint to completely dry before it is disposed at the Recycling Center.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers or latex paint.
Kittery Ace Hardware
3 mi6 Shapleigh Rd, Kittery, ME 03904
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Kittery Transfer Station
4.6 mi1 Mac Kenzie Ln, Kittery, ME 03904
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Kittery
- Hours
- Tuesday - Saturday 9am - 5pm- Wednesday & Saturday for paint only.
- Limits
- Limit: 10 gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking. This site will accept empty containers.
Sherwin-Williams
7.8 mi317 US Route 1, York, ME 03909
- Who
- Households and Businesses
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Eldredge Lumber and Hardware
9.2 mi627 US Route 1, York, ME 03909
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Dover Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site · Dover Community Services Garage
9.4 mi271 Mast Rd, Dover, NH 03820
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Dover
- Hours
- Saturday, October 17, 2026, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm.
- Limits
- Empty containers are not hazardous; please dispose of them in your regular trash.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers or latex paint.
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Which option fits your Portsmouth cleanout?4
You’re clearing out an old house in the South End
Sort the cans. Oil-based paint, varnish and any lead paint go to the Oct. 24 event in containers no bigger than 5 gallons. Latex gets hardened and goes to the Recycling Center on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday.
Your latex can has a dry skin but is wet underneath
That still counts as liquid. Break the skin, stir in kitty litter, sawdust or a hardener packet, and wait until it’s solid to the bottom before bringing it in.
You can’t make it on Oct. 24
Portsmouth holds this collection only in spring and fall, so store oil-based cans upright and closed until the spring 2027 event. Watch the city’s Household Hazardous Waste Day page for the date.
You live in Greenland
PaintCare and the city’s 2025 notice include Greenland, but one line on the city’s current page lists New Castle instead. Call 603-427-1530 before the event to make sure you’ll be let in.
Portsmouth rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Bring oil-based paint, stain and thinner to Portsmouth’s Household Hazardous Waste Day on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 8 a.m.–noon, at 680 Peverly Hill Road, with proof of residency. Latex isn’t taken that day: harden it all the way through and drop it at the Recycling Center at the same address, not at the curb.
In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the city’s Department of Public Works on Peverly Hill Road handles leftover paint two ways. Latex paint has to be hardened all the way through and brought to the Recycling Center, not set out at the curb. Oil-based and lead-based paint go to Household Hazardous Waste Day, and the fall 2026 event is Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 a.m. to noon. New Hampshire has no PaintCare program.
Oct. 24 is the fall collection
Bring oil-based paint, stain, thinner and lead paint to 680 Peverly Hill Road on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 8 a.m.–noon. Bring proof of residency. No container over 5 gallons and no drums.
Harden latex all the way through
The city warns that leaving the lid off only hardens the top. Mix in kitty litter, sawdust, Speedi-Dri or a hardener packet from a hardware store paint aisle until it’s solid to the bottom.
Bring hardened latex to the Recycling Center, not the curb
Portsmouth asks you to drop hardened latex at the Recycling Center instead of putting it out with curbside trash. It’s open Tuesday–Thursday 7:45–3:15 and Saturday 8–2. The longer Tuesday hours ended Oct. 9.
New Castle and Greenland: call first
The city’s event page lists Portsmouth, New Castle and Newington in one spot and Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington in another. Call 603-427-1530 if you live in New Castle or Greenland.
No businesses at the event
Household Hazardous Waste Day turns away commercial and industrial users. Painters and property managers need a private hazardous waste company.
Free pickup programs and other options
NHDES suggests giving full, good cans to Habitat for Humanity; call 1-800-422-4828 to find a ReStore and ask whether it takes paint. If you miss Oct. 24, the city holds another event each spring; PaintCare lists the spring 2026 one as May 9. Greenland residents were also part of the Rockingham Planning Commission’s Exeter-area event, which was Oct. 3, 2026 and has passed. For other questions, NHDES’s household hazardous waste line is 603-271-2047.
Getting your paint ready
Keep oil-based products in their original labeled cans, 5 gallons or smaller, and pack them upright in boxes. Bring a license or bill showing your address. For latex, start hardening it several days ahead and check the middle with a stick before you bring it.
Full preparation checklist →Portsmouth questions5
When is Portsmouth’s next hazardous waste day?
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 8 a.m. to noon, at 680 Peverly Hill Road.
Can I bring latex paint to Household Hazardous Waste Day?
No. Harden it and take it to the Recycling Center at the same address during regular hours.
Can I put dried latex paint in my Portsmouth curbside trash?
The city asks you not to. Bring hardened latex to the Recycling Center instead.
Is there a fee for the hazardous waste day?
The city’s page lists no fee. You just need proof that you live in a town the event serves.
I live in Newington. Can I go?
Yes. Newington is named in every version of the city’s town list.
Sources and how we checked10
October 13, 2026: read Portsmouth’s Household Hazardous Waste Day page, its How do I dispose of…? page, the Recycling Center and About pages, the city’s August 2025 notice for the Sept. 6, 2025 event, the Rockingham Planning Commission’s Exeter-area page, NHDES’s paint and household hazardous waste pages, PaintCare’s program-states page and PaintCare’s locator row for Portsmouth. The event page lists the served towns two ways (New Castle vs. Greenland); we flagged it rather than pick one. The Recycling Center page doesn’t say whether non-residents or a sticker are needed for paint drop-off; an older city page about stickers no longer loads. No paint fee is published. The May 9, 2026 spring date comes only from PaintCare’s listing. We found no Seacoast-area ReStore paint policy.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Portsmouth Household Hazardous Waste Day ↗Portsmouth: How do I dispose of…? (latex and oil paint) ↗Portsmouth Recycling Center (hours, fees, free items) ↗Portsmouth Solid Waste & Recycling: about ↗Portsmouth DPW: 2025 Household Hazardous Waste Day (Sept. 6, 2025) ↗Rockingham Planning Commission: Exeter-area HHW collection ↗NHDES: how to get rid of paint ↗NHDES: household hazardous waste program ↗PaintCare program states ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
